This Weekend at LACMA: Olmec Symposium, Korean Painting, Free Concerts, and More

Tonight you have your choice of free activities starting at 6 pm. As usual, our Jazz at LACMA series will take place on the plaza, with this week’s performance courtesy the Louis Van Taylor Band. Van Taylor plays a variety of saxophones and other woodwinds, and has performed with the likes of Ray Charles, the Gap Band, and many others.

Olmec: Colossal Masterworks of Ancient Mexico

Over in the Bing Theater, also starting at 6 pm and also free, is the first event in a two-day program held in conjunction with Olmec: Colossal Masterworks of Ancient Mexico. Exhibition curator Virginia Fields will moderate a panel made up of scholars from Yale University, UC Davis, Florida State University, and the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, who will discuss the latest research and discoveries around the ancient Olmec civilization, including evidence of a written language. This discussion serves as a prelude to a day-long Olmec symposium on Saturday, starting at 9 am and open to the public. A detailed list of presentations can be found here.

Beggars of Life

On Saturday night our 20th Anniversary Tribute to the Film Foundation continues with the 1928 silent film Beggars of Life, directed by William Wellman and starring the captivating Louise Brooks. Vince Morton will provide live musical accompaniment.

Sunday afternoon sees another stimulating lecture, this time on Buddhist painting in Goryeo-period Korea (918–1392). Professor Chung Woo Thak of Dongguk University will go in depth into the techniques of this highly detailed art form. Come early or stay late to take in some masterpieces from this era in our Korean galleries.

Finally, we’ll close out the weekend with the Amstel Saxophone Quartet, who have traveled all the way from Holland to perform in our free Sundays Live series. Here’s a clip of a recent performance by the quartet in Amsterdam to give you a sample of what they have in store.